The Empire star explains she has had to block several followers on social media because of derogatory terms they have used against her.

"Not a day goes by that I don't have to block someone from calling me a fat n**ger," she tells People.com.

And when she commented on the deaths of African-Africans Alton Sterling and Philando Castile at the hands of white police officers last week (ends08Jul16), she opened the floodgates to an awful lot of hate.

"I tweeted something about it and I just said, 'Who's going to be next?' And I said, 'I'm scared'," she says, "and the amount of hate I got... I mean, I once tweeted that I was watching Roots, and I can't tell you how many people I had to block."

The actress admits she is emotional and fearful over how much progress needs to be made when it comes to racial issues in the U.S.

"There is a long, long way to go and it breaks my heart," she continues. "I'm scared. I'm not just scared for myself, I'm scared for my family, I'm scared for everyone."

"What I realised is the only difference between the world that I live in and the world my mom grew up in - my mother was born in 1952 - is that we have cell phones," she continues. "We have cell phones and we have documented proof that there's no real difference."

However, she is hopeful things will turn around and praises activists who have stood up for their beliefs.

"I have to say, I am just so proud to know all of these people that are standing up - not just black people, but white people, anyone who has a heart really," she adds. "I don't base any of my friendships or my loves on colour, I base it on people, and I am so glad for the insane amount of people that show support."

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